Jane Slaughter

Frozen, Furloughed and Sequestered: Federal Workers Fed Up

Update August 6, 2013: The Department of Defense reduced the number of furlough days for 650,000 civilian employees from 11 to six. AFGE President David Cox credited AFGE activists who had flooded the White House and congressional offices with stories of personal hardship and said that Pentagon officials had admitted the furloughs were unnecessary.

“Weekday frequent flyers”—that is, business travelers—must have felt drunk with power in April, when Congress rushed to fix the inconvenience caused by air traffic controller furloughs.

Charley Richardson, 1953-2013

Charley Richardson passed away on Saturday. What made him stand out among labor educators was his devotion to the workplace, his belief that the seat of workers’ power was their ability to control their conditions of work and to act together where it counted.

Fight for May Day’s Two Traditions

More than a century after workers fought for the eight-hour day on May Day, the fight for decent hours continues. Join today's marches for immigrant rights!

Coping with Michigan's Right-to-Work Law

Teachers quickly settled contracts before Michigan’s right-to-work law took effect, locking in dues deduction. But most deals gave up a lot.

Harassment an Issue in UPS Bargaining, as Big Brown Becomes Big Brother

The company’s tight control of drivers makes them nearly as regimented as workers on an assembly line.

Warehouse Strategies Squeeze Walmart’s Pressure Points

The most clear-cut victories along the Walmart supply chain—though small in absolute terms—have been in warehouses, which is not surprising, because warehouses are a chokepoint in Walmart’s sophisticated logistics operations.

The $2.2 trillion in goods that enters the U.S. from abroad each year must pass quickly through the hands of logistics workers—dockworkers, port truckers, railroad workers, truck drivers, and warehouse workers—before ending up in stores. A work stoppage at any point blocks the flow of not just iPhones and pajamas but also profits.

Auto Workers Protest 'Maquila' Conditions in U.S.

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Jane Slaughter

A group of auto workers and supporters will demonstrate at the International Auto Show in Detroit next Sunday and Monday, to call attention to the “maquiladora model” they say the auto companies are applying in their U.S. plants.

They decry “an agenda that allows permanent 'temporaries,' outsources in-plant jobs to companies paying as low as $9 an hour, and increases the pace of work.” Management, they say, no longer wants long-term employees but “prefers the maquiladora model, where one rarely lasts more than ten years.”

Coercive Wellness Programs Create Headaches

The New Year brings promises to ourselves: to join the gym, quit smoking, get back on the diet wagon. In looking for help, watch out for management "wellness" programs: they have a not-so-hidden agenda.

Ten Thousand Aghast as 'Right to Work' Passes in Michigan

Union protesters at the Michigan Capitol today knocked down a tent erected by the Koch brothers, who helped bring right to work to the state. But despite the crowd’s anger, the governor signed the bills.

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